To Court A Sorceress
by Chris Bailey
Summary: The story of how Cid and Edea first met.......plus, the Bahamut vs Tiamat battle....


AUTHOR'S NOTE: This fanfic is set mainly in the past of Cid Kramer and explains how he came  
to meet Edea.  
  
DEDICATION: I want to dedicate this fanfic to all of the regular FS chatroom visitors and fellow mods:   
Darren (Edge), Colleen (Auggy) and Steph (Zell's Girl). I thank you all for always being there for me and   
for being such good friends.  
  
To Court A Sorceress (Part 1)  
  
Cid sat on the stone slab, staring out at the sea. He wondered where his beloved Garden was   
now. Last he heard of it, it was still docked at FH. After the defeat of Ultimecia, he had   
moved back to the orphanage with Edea. He dearly wanted to take control of garden again,   
but now that Squall was a world renowed hero, he couldn't take command of it away from him.   
It would seem to similar to when the back-stabbing NORG tried to take it away from Cid.   
Cid lay back. He fell into a light sleep and started to dream. He dreamt about his own past.......  
  
Cid ran for his life. He had been running for several hours now, the relentless forces   
from the city of Tioch chasing him all the time. He had been blamed for the near destruction   
of the city when the Ruby Dragon he had been fighting tried to burn the place to the ground.   
How was he supposed to know that it was going to do that? It was their own fault for hiring  
him to fight it in the town centre anyway. Everyone knew the legendary short temper of   
these beasts. Cid looked back, the soldiers still relentlessly giving chase. He was   
approaching the Bika snowfields now. He could easily find somewhere to hide here. He dived   
into a nearby cavern and crawled into a small passageway. Looking out, he could see the   
soldiers searching the cave in vain. He found himself wishing that his old mentor was with him,  
but he had left to go and fight for his home of Balamb.  
"Van.....what would you do now?"  
He crawled further back as they grew closer to his hiding place. Then he put his foot back, only   
to find that there was nothing to rest it on. He slid backwards down into a large underground  
river. The strong current carried him past a multitude of natural phenomenon that he didn't  
have time to appreciate before he was swept past. The he saw a sight that chilled him. A waterfall.  
He turned round and started to swim with all his strength, but to no avail. He was carried  
over the drop and blacked out. When he came to, he found himself staring up into the face   
of a wizened old man.  
"How're you feeling my boy? That was quite a fall you took there."  
"What in hell is a waterfall doing that far below ground?" Cid was trying to sit up.  
"Easy lad. We found that waterfall years ago. We use it as a source of clean water."  
"Where am I?" Cid looked around, a puzzled expression on his face.  
"Welcome to Pedios. The underground city." Cid sat bolt upright. Pedios? The legendary   
lost city? He had heard of this place, but only in legends. He never thought for a second   
that it could exist. He couldn't believe his luck. If he brought news of this place back,   
he would be famous! A hero! He looked around. He was in a small wooden hut, magical lights   
burning in the corners. It was sparsely furnished, with only the basic essentials. A table,   
two chairs and an iron stove. A door in the back wall looked to lead to a bedroom. In   
addition to Cid and the old man, there was another person in the room, occupying one of   
the chairs. She was fairly young, about 20. Cid was taken in by her gentle beauty. She   
was tall, with brown eyes and black hair which flowed down to her waist.  
"Who are both of you?"  
"My name is Rufus. This is my daughter, Edea. What would your name be, lad?"  
"Cid Kramer. Monster hunter by profession" Cid tried to get up, but winced in pain as   
soon as he placed his left foot on the floor.  
"Gently now my boy. You hurt that foot pretty badly. If I was you, I'd take it easy and   
rest for   
a few days."  
"But I have to go. Anyway, I have nowhere to stay...."  
"Feel free to stay here with us. It's been so long since we had contact with the outside,   
it would be interesting to hear how the world has changed." Cid contemplated this. On the   
one hand, the quiet life they led down here was new to him and would be hard to adjust to.  
On the other hand, it was true that he needed to rest his leg, plus it would be refreshing   
to observe the way of life down here. In addition, it would give him time to find something   
to validate his story when he got back.  
"Thanks. I guess I should rest up a while......"  
"That's good. I won't be around too much, but Edea will be here to tend to you." Cid liked that  
prospect. He would love a chance to get to know this woman better.......  
  
*********  
  
Cid awoke with a start as a seagull perched on his face. Must have dozed off, he thought.   
He sat up. Edea was sitting next to him. He truned to look at her. She was staring out at   
the ocean. Cid knew what she was thinking. after all the years they had spent together he   
could read her like a book. She missed running the orphanage. She had always loved children,   
up to the point where she allowed her body to be posessed for their protection. An idea   
came to him.  
"Edea?"  
"Hmmmmm?" She didn't even turn her head.  
"You know, after the lunar cry and the Galbadian army occupying various cities, there are   
now a lot of children without parents again. What do you say we start up the orphanage again?"   
Edea's eyes lit up.  
  
*********  
  
"Do you really enjoy killing?" The question came from Edea, during one of her now frequent and  
lengthy discussions with Cid.  
"I guess not, but it's a way to make a living. There's not much call for a gunblade expert   
around these parts. I don't know anything else." Cid looked into her eyes. She had the type   
of eyes that seemed to draw you in, eyes that had an almost magical quality about them.  
"But surely you could find some other way to survive?"  
"I don't know anything else. The hunting is all I ever knew. My father was a great monster   
hunter, until he....." Edea saw his discomfort. She had the ability to tell what people   
were feeling, she could somehow sense it.  
"He was killed wasn't he?" Cid nodded. "By a monster he was hunting?"  
"Yeah......."  
"Don't you ever worry that something similar will happen to you?"  
"It's always at the back of my mind....I'm sure it's like that with everyone like me. It's  
not as if I enjoy leading a dangerous life, but I have no home, nowhere to go....." Edea's  
face took on a thoughtful expression.  
"Stay here with us." Cid's eyes widened. "Here you can be safe. There are no monsters down  
here, just us. We live simple lives, yet we all live in harmony" Cid couldn't believe it.  
She was right, this place was perfect for him. Maybe he should hang up his gunblade and live  
out the rest of his days here. It was peaceful, calm, even beautiful. But it WAS a dramatic  
change from the life he was used to. It would require a great deal of effort on his part to  
fit in with these people. However, in the brief time he had spent here he had learnt to   
appreciate the lifestyle they lead. On the other hand, he held views that deeply coflicted   
with theirs. For example, they believed in discussion rather than warfare, that every conflict  
can be solved by discussion rather than conflict. Cid belived that there would always be a   
place for combat, even if he didn't like it. These conflicting views may lead to trouble......  
  
A loud crash was heard from outside. Cid ran out, limping slighty, closely followed by   
Edea. The sight that met them chilled Cid to the bone. Tiochians were pouring through a   
hole nearby the waterfall. Horrified, Cid realised what must have happened. They must have  
found the route he had inadvertently discovered to get down here. He drew his gunblade.  
"Get inside, Edea. This is gonna get ugly..." He glanced round to see that Edea had gone.  
He looked around, panicking. Then he saw her, heading towards the head of the Tioch army.  
His stomach turned as he realised what she was about to attempt. As the general turned towards  
her, Cid was knocked out with a blow from the hilt of a Tioch soldier's sword. The last thing he  
heard was the words 'Seize the sorceress!'  
  
********  
  
Cid's eyes gradually opened. He found himself staring into the face of Rufus again. The old man  
smiled.  
"We really have to stop meeting like this......" Rufus was trying to smile, but Cid could see the pain  
wracking his features. Not physical pain, but emotional. Cid lifted himself put of the bed.  
"Where's Edea?" Cid noticed a tear roll down Rufus' cheek at this question. He looked into Cid's  
eyes.  
"They took her. Apparently they were acting on orders from another sorceress......." Cid looked  
surprised.  
"Another?"  
"Edea's a sorceress. She has been since childhood. Her mother was a weak sorceress, but the powers  
get stronger with each generation. It seems that I have latent magical powers too, which also   
increased Edea's power."  
"What happened to her mother?" This question obviously caused Rufus a lot of grief.  
"She was hunted down and killed, feared for her powers. I took Edea and came to join this village.  
I knew we would be safe here."  
"Do you know why they took Edea?"  
"My only guess is that they need to use her to boost this other sorceress' power." Cid had heard of this.  
It was rumoured that the Tiochians had developed a method of extracting magical power from beings  
with a strong magical aura and transferring it to another being. It was supposed to be based on the  
common technique of drawing magic, but removed the need for a GF. Cid had never trusted GF's and as  
a result had very little experience in the area. He turned to Rufus.  
"Did they take her back to Tioch?"  
"I think so. I heard someone say something about taking her to a lab there." Cid took Rufus' hand and   
looked into his tear-filled eyes.  
"I'm gonna get her back."  
  
*********  
  
Cid surveyed the desert. He had called Garden, where he had spoken to Nida. He had promised to try   
and get in contact with Squall to relay Cid's message. Now he just needed to wait until Squall arrived.  
Cid had come up with the plan to use the Ragnarok to visit each of the major cities and bring any  
orphaned children back here. Edea was inside now, preparing the old building. It had been a long time   
since she was this enthusiastic. Cid allowed himself a satisfied smile. He still knew how to make her  
happy. He went back to watching the skies for a glimpse of the giant red craft.......  
  
*********  
  
Gunblade in hand, Cid crept up to the walls of Tioch. It was going to be tricky, but he was determined   
to rescue Edea. He owed it to Rufus, but more importantly he had begun to realise that he was harbouring  
feelings for her. He was going to rescue her, no matter what. He reached the wall. So far so good. He  
took the grappling hook from his belt and flung it over the top of the wall. He tugged it to secure it and  
started his ascent. He vaulted over the top and landed expertly on the sand floor of the city interior.  
The lab was directly in front of him, with two guards. Cid stealthily crept closer and picked up a stone   
from the dloor. He threw it into a small bush the other side of the building, distracting one guard who   
went to investigate. Cid jumped the other guard, slitting his throat with his gunblade. He entered the lab.  
Inside was a lot of technical looking equipment and guys in lab coats. In a cell was Edea, connected to a  
strange looking machine. It was covered in complex dials and monitors, with six cables leading out of it. One  
was connected to each of Edea's hips, a third to the back of her head. The remaining three were connected to  
another woman. She was tall, with yellow eyes and bright green hair. A scientist was talking to her.  
"We're ready to begin, Sorceress Santyai."  
"Very well. Begin the process" Cid made his move. He didn't know what process they were talking about,   
but he was damn sure that it wasn't gonna do Edea a lot of good. He sprung out and sliced the tubes   
connecting Edea to the machine.  
"What the -" The scientist was cut off as a flailing cable caught him in the mouth.  
"Edea! RUN!!!" Cid positioned himself between the two sorceresses. Santyai looked at Cid, her eyes burning  
with hatred.  
"You dare to interfere with my plans? You must DIE!!!!!!" She cast a firaga spell at Cid, knocking him back   
onto the damaged machine. HE pulled himself up and dived at her. HIs gunblade made contact and he   
squeezed the trigger at the perfect moment. Santyai's arm was blown half off. The sorceress steadied herself  
and her eyes switched from yellow to red. The lab vanished and all that remained was Cid, Santyai and  
Edea in the middle of the snowfields. They had been transported back to Trabia, near to the entrance to  
Pedios.  
"Die, foolish creature. Feel the wrath of the GF..........." Santyai made a series of swrling motions with her arms  
aand the sky darkened. The clouds split and a large dragon appeard through the gap. It was pitch-black,  
with glowing red eyes. It's wings were a deep shade of blue. Cid could sense the evil seeping from it.  
"Behold - Tiamat!"  
Tiamat swooped down and grabbed Cid in a claw before he could ready his gunblade. The dragon flew high  
into the sky before releasing the helpless warrior from his grasp. As Cid prepared for the cold kiss of   
death, he found himself rising again. He looked down, straight into a mass of blue. He stopped rising and  
felt the motion of whatever he was riding on land. He dropped to the floor and looked up. It was another  
dragon, this one blue with glowing green eyes. The inside of his wings were a deep red colour. Cid turned  
to the right and saw Rufus. The old man was smiling.  
"Told you I had magical abilities......" Cid smiled at him and looked up at the blue dragon who had saved  
him.   
"Where the hell did this thing come from?" The dragon looked down at him and spoke.  
"My name is Bahamut. I am what you would call....a GF." Cid's mouth dropped open.  
"Y...you can speak?"  
"Of course. We all can." With this, Bahamut took off and hovered in front of Tiamat. The dark dragon   
spoke with a deep, booming voice.  
"Bahamut. My worthless twin. Do you seriously think you can take me on and win?" Bahamut answered by  
flying straight at him. The two giant creatures met in mid-air with a clash. They separated and turned to face  
each other. Tiamat was glowing strangely. Bahamut made another sweeping pass, knocking Tiamat off balance  
and sending him spiralling towards the snowfields. The dark GF pulled up at the last second, glowing   
stronger than ever. Bahamut's eyes narrowed as he realised what was about to happen. Santyai let out  
an evil laugh.  
"You are a fool, old man. Prepare to see the power of Tiamat, the dark GF!" Tiamat opened his mouth and   
released a stream of black energy. Dark flare. Bahamut responded with his own attack, Mega Flare. The two  
beams met between the GFs, erupting in a huge explosion of light. The resulting explosion knocked Rufus   
onto a rocky outcrop, a sickening crunch eminating from his body. As the beams became weakened, Tiamat  
charged at Bahamut. The dark dragon knocked his nemesis out of the sky and into a nearby mountain.  
Bahamut roared with pain.  
"You are no match for me! You have been weakened by your decision to be controlled by the humans!"  
Bahamut weakly raised his head.  
"No.......it is you who is the fool. Humans are more powerful than you believe. They use our powers,  
but we draw a significant part of our strength from them. Now you shall see the strength of the humans, you  
shall see why I fear their power...." Bahamut launched himself back into the sky and grabbed Tiamat's   
neck in his teeth. He flew straight up before turning to fly directly at the ground. Tiamat hit the ground first,  
being driven further down by the force of Bahamut's charge behind him. Tiamat's eyes closed as Santyai's  
glowed fiercly.  
"Impossible! Tiamat has never been defeated! You shall pay dearly for this insult........" She made a series   
of motions with her remaining hand and Tiamat glowed with a white light. The evil being roared and took off   
once more. Santyai let out an evil laugh.  
"So long as he is junctioned unto me, Tiamat cannot be destroyed. Bahamut's link to the old man  
has been destroyed, therefore his strength is depleted. You shall all perish." Cid stepped up to Bahamut.  
"W....what are you doing?" Santyai wore a confused expression as Bahamut took off once more.  
"I junctioned Bahamut to myself. I won't let you destroy Edea....." Cid's eyes were filled with rage.  
Santyai laughed once more.  
"Then I shall have to destroy you first......" She fired a blot of pure magical energy at Cid, which hit   
him straight in the chest. Before she could unleash the full potential of this energy however, she was   
halted by a blow from Bahamut. The GF grasped her in his teeth and threw her onto the ground.  
"You....cannnot defeat....me......" Santyai was cut off by the mega flare fired at her by Bahamut. As the  
life flowed out of her, Tiamat began to fade.  
"W....what is happening?" Bahamut gave him an answer.  
"Your link to this world has been destroyed. Without her, you have no means of remaining in this  
reality. You shall be sealed in the home dimension for all eternity, never to taint this world with your   
evil again." A large rip appeared in the sky behind Tiamat, which he was sucked into. Edea ran over   
to the fallen body of Cid. Bahamut turned to her.  
"I cannot keep him alive much longer. You must tend to his injuries......." Edea nodded and a magical  
glow surrounded them as she cast a healing spell on Cid. He opened his eyes.  
"Y...you saved me......" Bahamut began to speak.  
"My time in this reality grows short. I must return until I am needed once more. I shall return when I  
am defeated by one with a true and noble soul........" The dragon took off and vanished over the horizon.  
  
*********  
  
Cid turned away from the sky for a moment, the sun blinding him. He reflected how Ultimecia had freed   
Tiamat from his imprisonment in the GF's dimension in exchange for his services. How Squall had   
found Bahamut in the research center and how the noble dragon had aided Squall and the others in   
the defeat of Tiamat once more. The two GF's would come up against each other again, Cid knew it.  
He went back to watching the sky....... 


End file.
